Forgotten
by racheldinosaur
Summary: Dean loves Castiel but sometimes Cas forgets who Dean is. This is the story of a traumatic accident that changes their lives
1. Castiel

_August 14, 2013_

"Do you have a girlfriend." Cas is sitting across the bed from Dean with a drawing tablet in his lap.

"I haven't had a girlfriend in a long time." He chuckles to himself.

"What about a boyfriend." He asks keeping his eyes set on Dean. Dean was concentrating on his homework but he looked up when he heard Cas' words.

"Well, I um... I did but it's complicated."

Cas took a minute to think. He was so close to figuring it out but his brain was slower.

"Me? It's me?" Cas has been getting better at keeping up at conversations.

"It's complicated." the look on Dean's face was pained. He was scared that Cas was going to reject him. It was a crazy idea but it was always present in Dean's mind.

"I'm your boyfriend." He face was very serious and he crossed his arms. Dean laughed and got up and sat down beside Cas leaning against the wall.

"Okay, you are my boyfriend."

"You are my boyfriend. What do boyfriends do?" He was curious.

"Well, they kiss and hug and stuff." He really didn't want to go into too much detail.

Cas leans over and wraps his arms around Dean and Dean hugged him back. When he pulled away he pressed his lips to Dean's

"I've missed you Cas." The boy didn't reply he just scooted away from the wall.

"I'm tired." He lied down across the bed and shimmied under the covers. "Come on." He pulled up the sheets. Dean shrugged and climbed in beside him. Cas pulled Deans arm up and put it across his torso. Soon both of the boy's breathing evened out and they both fell asleep.


	2. Zachariah

_December 2008_

Cas didn't like walking to lunch without Dean but he takes Cassie to lunch now. Zachariah and his gang always find a way to corner Cas and threaten to beat the shit out of him. The group is two years ahead of Cas and they always make a habit of beating up the new 7th graders. Cas always walks through the crowded hallways and keeps his head down but Zachariah always seems to find him. Today was no different.

He hears a door open to his right and before he has time hands are on his shoulders pushing him in. The door slams behind him.

"Why hello Castiel." Zachariah was in front of him and he guessed Raphael and Uriel were the ones that pushed him in. The two were now tightly holding onto both of his arms. He fought against his captors.

"Let me go." He tried to jerk out of their hold but it was too tight.

"Why? So you can get back to your boyfriend?" Zach always knew the right buttons to push.

"Not my boyfriend." He still is trying to get away but the boys are bigger and stronger than him even though they are a year ahead of him.

"Oh but you wish he was." Zach took a swing at Cas as he finished his sentence. Both of the boys holding him let go and through him to the ground as they ran out of the room. Cas heard at least one of them call him a _faggot_. They were laughing as they left.

Cas put his hand over the eye Zachariah hit. It hissed as he pressed it to gauge the damages. It was going to leave a mark, Dean will probably see it. He'll just tell him he fell.

He got up off the ground and went to the door. He was careful it not attract attention when he opened it. The hall was empty as he stepped out.

The lunchroom was crowded and noisy he quickly spotted Dean sitting with Cassie, Jo, and Ash. Cas quickly made his way over. He sat down across from Dean and tried to hide his swelling eye from his friend.

"Hey, why were you late?" Despite Cas' plan to hide his eye he looked up. It was starting to turn a light purplish-blue. "Shit Cas, was it Zachariah again? I'm gonna go kick his ass!" Dean started to get up.

"No, Dean stop. I just fell." He was a horrible liar.

"That's bullshit Cas. That dick hit you again. Damn it" He was sitting back down but his eyes wee still roaming the room for Zachariah and his crew.

"It's okay Dean." The rest of the table was silent.

"No it's not Cas. You can't just think that someone hurting you is okay." Dean was angry. "Don't worry i'll _talk_ to him after school." Cas rolled his eyes.


	3. First Kiss

_May 27, 2013_

"Tell me a story." The two boys were sitting on Cas' bed.

"Okay about what?"

"Us." Dean thought about it for a minute.

"I have the best one, our first kiss." Cas smiled.

"Good."

"Okay once upon a time there were two boys and they both really liked each other in the way one of them thought you were only supposed like girls, but this boy was really stupid his name is Dean." Cas laughed.

"The other boy was amazing and smart and perfect." Dean could feel Cas smiling into his shirt. "His name is Cas. Now one day a evil boy named Zachariah thought that he could get away with hurting Cas. He was dumb, but not in the way Dean is dumb, Zachariah is way dumber.

"Zach hit Cas, right in the eye and Dean was really really REally mad when he saw Cas' eye. Then what he did was show Zachariah why you shouldn't mess with the people that Dean loves. I only punched him once and he was on the floor crying.

"Oh you shouldn't punch people, okay. Let me do that. Okay now to the kissing part. We were in your room. You were doing homework and I wasn't. You were probably going to make me do it later. Oh I was looking at your eye, it was really purple. But then I looked at your eyes and I knew I had to kiss you. It was perfect but then I was dumb. I just ran away.

"I hate thinking about it now because it was so stupid. I should have stayed and kissed you some more, you have since told me that you wished I did, but I didn't. We weren't really on a friendly basis for the next week." Dean laughs. Cas is silent the whole time, concentrating on the story.

"We both wanted to kiss the other but we thought the other didn't want to. We were both a little dumb that week."

"Can I kiss you now?" Cas leaned up and put his face in Dean's personal space.

"Cas, I- I can't I don't want to like, take advantage of you?" He wanted to kiss Cas hell he wanted to do a lot more.

"I want to kiss you. You have my permission to kiss me." Cas leaned up and pressed his lips to Dean's. Dean eagerly kissed back.


	4. Gabriel

_December 2008_

He heard feet coming up the stairs he got up hoping it was Dean coming back to explain but it wasn't.

"Cassy, why did Dean just run out of here like he was on his way to a plaid sale at the mall?" Gabe liked to make fun of Dean any way he could.

"He left." Cas plopped back down on his bed

"Yeah. I think I saw that. Though he ran too fast for me to really confirm his identity. Damn Cas, what happened to your eye?"

"Nothing of importance." Cas was looking at his feet hanging off of his bed, his hands were clasped in his lap.

"Cas why did Dean leave." Cas looked up and Gabe got full view of his bruised eye.

"This guy from school hit me then Dean beat him up and Dean was looking at it. He was really close and then he- he- um. He kissed me." Gabe's expression suddenly got serious.

"Did you want to kiss him." Cas looks back down at his feet.

"I- Yes." He knew he couldn't lie to his brother so he gave up. Gabe moved to sit next to Cas on the bed.

"Then you need to talk to him. You don't need to do it today but you need to soon." Cas nodded.

"Okay, I'm going to be downstairs if you want to talk some more."

"Okay." Then Gabriel left the room. Cas tried to finish his homework but his mind was elsewhere. Thinking about Dean's lips on his.

He went downstairs once to get food for dinner then brought it back up to his room.

He only got a few hours of sleep. His mind kept going to the fact that he was overreacting. It didn't mean anything, it was a mistake. He tried all night to convince himself that was true.

His stomach was turning as Gabe pulled in front of Dean's house. They had all fallen into the routine of Gabe dropping Sam and Anna off at the elementary school and Dean and Cas at the middle school.

Cas got into the front seat. He usually sat in the back with Dean but he couldn't. Anna was in the very back eagerly waiting for Sam. Like Dean and Cas, there younger siblings were best friends. They both liked trying t read books that were too hard for them.

"Come on, Sam." Anna said as Sam climbed into the back with her.

"Hey Cas." Dean sat down in his seat then shut the door.

"Hello Dean." He almost whispered, Cas didn't turn back to look at him he just stared out the windshield as Gabriel drove off toward the school. The car was relatively quiet except for Anna and Sam talking in the back.

They arrived at school and Cas tried to get in the building as fast as he could but Dean quickly caught up with him.

"Cas, we need to talk." Cas stopped walking.

"There's nothing to talk about." He looked away and continued walking.

"No Cas, damn it. We obviously need to talk about what I did." He glanced around for eavesdroppers.

"Just nothing happened, okay. We can just go back to being friends."

"Fine, nothing happened." Cas looked down at his books and remembered he was carrying Dean's jacket.

"Here's your jacket." He through the jacket at Dean and took off to his locker. Luckily Dean didn't follow.


	5. Almost Birthday

_January 21, 2014_

"Dean, I want to leave." The two were sitting on Cas' bed play some bored game.

"Leave where, your room. We can go to the garden if you want?"

"No, I want to leave this place." Cas puts down the cards in his hand to look at Dean.

"Cas, I don't know. It's not my choice that you are here."

"I don't like it. The applesauce is grainy." Dean chuckles at Cas.

"I'll talk to the doctors when I leave, okay. You are doing so much better." Dean continues with his turn.

"You are Dean Winchester. I am Castiel Novak. My sister is Anna and my brother is Gabe. I know stuff and I remember the stuff you tell me." His voice is raising and he is starting to get frustrated. Dean crawls over to sit next to Cas and pulls him into a hug.

"Don't get mad, buddy. At the most you will only be in here for a few more months. Oh, our birthday is in a few days you know?"

"Yes... I think I remember you told me." Both boys smile.

"Me and Sammy are going to make a cake, okay? And Anna and Gabe are coming. You okay with all of us being here?" The last time they all came at once Cas was scared and started to scream. That was a few months ago and Dean hopes he will have a better reaction this time.

"Yes but um... How old are we gonna be?"

"18 years old."

"Oh." Cas is still not good with numbers and dates, he never really was. Dean was the math genius and Cas excelled at everything else.

Cas looks away from Dean. He keeps his eyes set on something past Dean's head as he curls into Dean. "It hurts, Dean."

"What hurts?"

"When I make you sad, it makes me sad." Its somewhat true. Dean always feels discouraged when Cas forgets who he is and yells and fights.

"Cas, no, don't say that. You don't make me sad, hell if anything you make me happy. I just don't like seeing you in so much pain." Cas leans up and places a small kiss on Dean's cheek before pulling Dean down to lay with him.


	6. Dean meets Cas

_August 3, 2003._

"Come on, Dean. I wanna play ball." Sam was four and just beginning to master his soccer skills.

"Okay Sammy, I'm commin'." Dean grabs the ball off of the table and follows his brother outside. He kicks the ball around with his brother for a while until he glances over at his neighbors yard and sees a boy about his age reading under a tree.

The boy had messy dark brown hair and thick glasses. The book he was reading looked a little too big for his age but he seemed to be engrossed in it. Dean put his finger to his lip to signal Sam to be quiet and motioned at the boy. Sam kept playing with the ball as Dean snuck into the small patch of trees in the woods behind his house and creeped up on the boy from behind.

"Whatcha doin'?" The messy-haired boy jumped and looked up at Dean, startled. He grabbed his book and his eyes went back to it.

"Reading." He replied Dean plopped down next to him.

"Do you want to play soccer with me and my brother?" Cas looked up from his book and glanced over a Sam playing with the ball.

"I don't know how." He said somewhat embarrassed.

"Thats okay, come on I'll teach you." Dean was looking for company, he loved his brother but he missed being around someone his own age. Ellen brought over Jo sometimes when she got together with John and Bobby, but he would really rather be around someone his own gender.

Cas looked at his house then got up Dean followed. "Okay, but don't laugh at me." Cas kept his head down as he spoke.

"Oh yeah, I'm Dean."

"Castiel."

"Thats a weird name."

"I like my name." He looked mildly offended, as offended as an eight year old could look.

"It's cool, but I'm gonna call you Cas." Castiel nodded.

"Didn't you just move here?" Dean already knew the answer but wanted to keep a conversation going as they walked over to where Dean's little brother was tripping over his soccer ball.

"Yes." He answered, The moving trucks had been crowding the streets for the past few days. Dean's Dad had been complaining about them.

Dean looked at the book Cas was carrying. "Whatcha' reading?"

"Harry Potter. It is an amazing book." The boy looked at the cover of the heavy book in his hands.

"That's cool." They reached Dean's yard quickly and Cas ran over to the porch to set down his book. Dean started to explain. "It's really simple all you do is kick the ball."


	7. The Accident

_February 14, 2013 7:30 pm_

The phone started to ring on his dash board, he checked the caller ID and smiled.

"I am almost there Dean."

"How did you know it was me?"

"Caller ID, dumbass." Cas said with a laugh

"Oh I knew that. So, how far away are you and you got pie right?"

"Like five minutes and how could I forget."

Those were the last words Dean would hear Cas say for a while.

They were still on the phone when the car with a very drunk driver swerved into Cas' lane. The boy only had time to scream as he tried to get out of the way. The other car rammed head on into Cas'. They were still on the phone as he was hit, he heard it all.

"CAS!" His voice was desperate. He didn't want to believe what he just heard. "CASTIEL!"

Cas instantly passed out as his head hit the wind shield, the other driver was lucky and died on impact. Cas continued to bleed as the paramedics arrived.

_ 9:30 pm At The Hospital_

Dean puts his head in his hands as he tries to hold back tears. Castiel has been in surgery for over an hour and he will still be in there for a few more. They called in all the best neurological specialists and they say 'there doing all they can'. Dean just knows thats doctor speak for he's probably going to die.

Dean is sitting with Sam, Anna, and Gabriel. They are just as wreaked as Dean is. They don't talk they just sit.

_10:00 pm_

Dean tries to play a game on his phone but his fingers are shaking too much.

_10:42 pm_

All Deans mind can think about is how he could have prevented this.

_It's your fault. It's your fault. He was talking to you when he- Maybe if he wasn't he could have got out of the way. It's your fucking fault you piece of shit, he should have waited for you. He would still be okay if you had waited for him. Goddamnit Cas, why weren't you wearing a seat belt, you son of a bitch. It's my fault, Cas. I'm sorry, i love you. So much._

_February 15, 2013 12:01 am_

Dean glances at the clock every so often but it doesn't seem to change. His mind is racing. Dean has his mind set on the fact that this is his fault not the drunk driver that ran into him.

_1:58 am_

Cas is still in surgery and Dean has taken to walking up and down the hallways. He feels a small slimmer of something positive when he sees a sleeping Anna rest her head on the slumbering moose. Is quickly gets drowned out by thing about Cas' situation.

_3:34 am_

Gabriel fell asleep in the waiting room near Sam and Anna about an hour ago but Dean just can't relax or eat.

_5:51 am_

Dean wakes up his brother and neighbors when a nurse comes out to give them information.

"Castiel Novak is currently in post-op. The doctors are going to keep him medically comatose for a few weeks."

"Why the hell are they doing that?" Dean interrupts angrily.

"Castiel has suffered a traumatic brain injury if we woke him up now he might try to resist and hurt himself further."

"What do you mean he might _resist_?"

"With cases like this he most likely will suffer from severe amnesia and if he wakes up and is confused he might lash out. The circumstances are unpredictable."

"You mean he might not know who he is?" Dean collapses down on the nearest chair.

"Possibly, we are doing all we can. Now I am going to need the legal guardian to sign some papers."

Gabriel stands up, "That's me." The usual cheerfulness in his voice is gone. Gabriel follows the nurse out.

"Dean, he is going to be okay." Sam says sitting in the chair next to Dean.

"How can you say that? Did you not hear what she said. Cas is... He's gone." His voice breaks as tears slide down his face.

"He is NOT dead, Dean. Stop acting like he is, you know Cas. Hell, you know him better than most of us, you know how tough he is. He will get through this."

"I know Sammy but I don't know if I can see him like that. He's probably all scratched up and hurting, I don't know." Dean is scared, he his scared of how scared he is.

"Dean, it's going to be okay."

"What if he doesn't wake up?"

_8:27 am_

"Dean you need to get some sleep or eat something."

"I'm not hungry. Or tired so stop bugging me."

"Dean you look like hell."

"Sammy, just stop the nurse is going to come in any minute and tell us we can see him."

_10:12 am_

A different nurse comes through the same door and tells them that he is in a room and can have visitors." The four follow her through a few hallways until they reach his room. The nurse prepares him.

"The boy is badly wounded and has multiple facial lacerations." She pushes the door open and all of the air leaves Deans lunges, before them lays a beaten up version on Cas. Dean goes to sit in the chair next to him.

He examines his boyfriend. There is an IV in his arm and lots of circles connected to wires that monitor his heart beat and breathing. Deans eye move to the boy's face. There is a large gash going from his hair line to mid-cheek also there are other smaller cuts on his nose and his forehead.

But the top of his head was the worse. All his hair was buzzed off and near the hairline was a large cut with massive bruising around it.

He didn't realize he was crying until Sam put a hand on his shoulder and brought him back to reality. Dean wiped his eyes. He heard Gabe talking to the nurse. Dean was too focused on Cas to see everyones reaction. Sam hand one hand on Dean and the other over Anna's shoulders comforting the crying girl. Gabriel was was trying to remain the adult in charge but you could see the child-like expression on his face. He tried his best to hide the hurt he was feeling but it was too difficult. His baby brother was cut up and looked almost dead in front of him.

"He will be like this for a few weeks?" Dean could hear the quiver in Gabe's voice.

"Yes, or until he is healed enough. I have to go to another paitent, visiting hours are from 10 to 6 for this ward." She exited the room and the four remained silent. The silence goes on until Dean breaks it.

"He's not gonna remember us, is he." No one spoke but they knew the answer.

Dean reached out and grabbed Cas' hand, it may have been Dean's sleep deprived mind but he swears he felt Cas squeeze back.

_12:02 pm_

"Okay, I'm going to take Anna home, are you two coming?" Asked Gabriel. It's been almost two hours since they were first allowed to see Cas. He had another surgery in a couple of hours.

"Yeah... Dean come on."

"It's okay, I don't want to leave." The boy hasn't moved since he entered.

"You're going to have to leave sometime. Come on, you need a shower, you smell like shit." Sam goes over to Dean to try to pull him away.

"No Sammy I can't leave. What if something happens."

"Dean nothing is going to happen, you need to go home. He has more surgery later today and you are not going to just wait around for him." Dean nods and lets Sam pull him away.

The car ride home was quiet, no one even turned on the radio. The hospital was only a ten minute drive from their houses, they arrived quickly. Gabe dropped Sam and Dean off at their house and Gabe and Anna pulled into theirs.

Deans mind was to set on Cas to think about anything else like how he left the car at the hospital. He'll get it later.

They walk through the door to find their father drinking on the couch.

"Where the hell have you two been." His words are mildly slurred. Dean just ran up the stairs and let Sam explain. He just couldn't deal with his father too.

"Dad, Cas was in a really bad accident. He's at the hospital, we were there all night."

John muffles a laugh. "Serves the fag right." Sam just can't express how happy he was that Dean didn't hear him say that.

"Dad you need to stop saying that. Your opinion of him and Dean doesn't matter." His voice starts to raise. "Just get over it."

"Whatever." He goes back to drinking his beer.

"And don't you dare say anything like that around Dean. He almost lost someone he loves, even you can understand." Sam was near shouting. John gave him a look that could kill. Sam thought it finally got through his head so he went up to his room.

Dean was in his room, laying on his back staring at a picture of him and Cas from a few years ago. They looked so young.

After awhile he gets in the shower. The water is too hot but he doesn't really care.

He goes back in his room and sees the chocolates and roses he was going to give Cas. They decided on doing and extremely cliche Valentines Day. His mind starts to think about how the accident could of been prevented.

All Cas was doing was getting dinner, that was it. It was maybe a fifteen minute trip.

_It should have been me. I should be the one in the coma. Damn it, it's still your fault._

_3:21 pm_

"Anna called, Cas just went back into surgery." Dean doesn't respond. "Are you going to school Monday?" Dean looks up from his barley touched dinner.

"I don't know." There is no way he could concentrate in school.

"You do need to go sometime." Dean drops the spoon he was holding.

"Sam, I don't think I can. I should just start going to Bobby's full time." Dean on the brink of giving up his life.

"Dean, you are not dropping out. Do you think that's what Cas would want."

"Who cares what Cas wants, Sam. He is gone!" Dean's voice cracks for the millionth time that day.

"Dean he's not fucking dead, he IS going to wake up and you need to be there for him. I don't care if he doesn't know you, you know him and you are probably one of the only ones who can help him. So grow a pair." Dean hates himself for making Sam have to be the level-headed one.

Dean goes to the fridge and gets a beer. "You are not drinking either." Sam pulls the can out of Deans hand.

"Why the hell not?"

"I know you Dean, you are just going to drink away your feelings. Do you want to be like dad?" Sam put the beer back in the fridge.

"I'll go on Monday. Fine. But I am going to see Cas after school."

"That's okay Dean. Do you want me to go with you?"

"Sure if you want. I'm going to try to take a nap. Tell me if Gabe or Anna calls." He doesn't wait for an answer and escapes to his room.

His room is messy as always. He falls onto his bed, grabs his iPod and puts some headphones in his ears. He blasts Zeppelin and Metallica in hopes it will drown out his thoughts, it's not very successful.

_February 17, 2013._

School was hell for Dean. Everyone heard about Cas' accident. It's only fourth period and he has had about fifty people apologize to him. He's never even talked to about half of them. The clock seemed to go extra slow, but it was worth it to hear the final bell. He went back to his locker to find Sam there.

"Do you really want to go to the hospital?" Dean asked pulling some books and papers into his backpack.

"I will only go if you want me too." Sam already had his book bag slung over his shoulder.

"I think- I umm... I want to go alone, for now I mean but,"

"It's okay Dean, we will probably go to see him later. I am going to ride home with Anna, See you soon." Sam walks away and Dean shuts his locker.

He walks out to the parking lot to find the Impala right were he left it. Dean pulls open the door and climbs in.


	8. Cassie

_November 2008_

Dean had asked Cassie to be his girlfriend a few weeks ago. It was the first time either of the friend had dated. Castiel thought Cassie was a nice girl but he didn't really like her for some reason.

She always sat with them at lunch, she and Dean held hands under the table. Dean also talked about he a lot.

"I kissed her yesterday. There was tongue involved." The two boys were in Cas' room doing their usual, Castiel was doing his homework and Dean was procrastinating.

"That's great, Dean." He wasn't really listening to his best friend go on about his girl friend, he was more focused on the tough math problem in front of him.

"Come on, Cas. I bet your not even listening to me."

"Uh-huh." He nodded. Dean laughed and pulled Cas' notebook out of his lap. "Hey!" Cas looked up.

Dean had a mischievous grin on his face. "Why don't you ever talk about girls."

"I don't know, can I please have my papers back?" He reached for his homework but Dean pulled away.

"How can you not not know? I mean _girls_, man. I know there has to be someone who's caught your eye." _Yeah you_, Cas thought but he didn't dare say it out loud.

"Nope i'm not interested in girls at this moment," _And I never will be_, He thought. "but I am interested in completing my homework can I please have it back." He reached yet again for his papers but Dean pulled away.

"How can you not be interested in girls," He laughed but suddenly he got serious and sat down across from Cas. "Wait... If you don't like girls does that mean you like... guys." He was hesitant in voicing his thoughts.

Cas' eyes widened with fear and he looked away. "No." His chest tighten, he knew he was a horrible liar.

"Dude, Cas. Why didn't you tell me earlier?" Cas looked up. Dean didn't look mad if anything he looked a little hurt. "I mean how long have you known?"

"Forever. I just don't like girls, i'm so sorry Dean." Castiel felt like he was going to cry he was so scared. The older boys at school beat on him and they didn't even fully know. Now Dean was never going to talk to him, he just lost his best friend.

"No, don't be sorry. It's okay, your still my best friend I don't care who you like." Cas was very happy at this moment. He was sure Dean was going to leave or beat him up. He let out a big breath he was holding. Dean jumped up and looked toward Cas with a giant smirk on his face.

"So any boys you like." He set down Cas' homework and wiggled his eyebrows.

"Shut up, Dean." He reached and punched his arm.

Dean knew but he didn't treat Cas different. He always told Cas what was going on with Cassie but that relationship didn't go anywhere and ended after the kiss that both boys swore to forget. They did go back to being friends after it but their relationship was strained for a while but it soon went back to normal.


	9. Garden

_March 12, 2014_

"Here for Castiel Novak." Dean has visited Cas almost everyday since he was settled into his room at the rehabilitation center. Dean doesn't like he hospital setting but Cas' room is nice enough.

"You know where he is." The lady at the front desk was never in a good mood. Dean just made her have to work and do her job. She did not like that.

"Hey Dean." Said Lisa as she walked toward Dean. Lisa is Cas' main nurse, they like to have the same nurse for the amnesia patients.

"What's up?" There is a hint of worry in Dean's voice. Lisa regularly updates Dean on Cas' condition and he can't help but think that one day she will have bad news to give him. They both walk to Cas' room.

"Nothing bad but he does remember you today. He has been talking about you all morning, I think he likes remembering something."

"That's good right? That he remembers something?"

"Yes it is defiantly a sign of improvement." They come up to Cas' door and he opens it. Cas is sitting on his bed with a large pad of paper and crayons on his lap.

"Dean!" Cas is really too weak to get up and walk so Dean goes to the bed and gives him a hug. "Can we go see the flowers again."

"I'm gonna get out of your hair, I'll go get a wheelchair if you want it."

"Thanks Lisa." Cas is still hanging on to his neck. Lisa leaves the room.

"Hey Cas. You want to go outside again?" Cas carefully nods. "You remember yesterday?" Dean loved him like this. He looked so happy. The doctor's have told Dean that Cas doesn't really understand what happened to him, thought he does know that he hasn't always been the way he is now.

"Yeah, the bee was on the flower but then it bit me." Cas looks at his arm where there is a small red mark.

"It didn't bite you, Cas, it stung you with it's butt." He laughed at that. "Hey do you think Anna and Gabe could come by today?" He thought about asking them to bring Sam also but too many people could overwhelm him. Anyways Sam is at a friends house.

"Who? I want to see the flowers."

"Anna and Gabe are your sister and brother. They really want to see you." Dean got up to push the wheelchair against the bed.

"Can they see the flowers with us?" Cas shuffled over to the edge of the bed and stood up. He wasn't that strong but he could hold himself up for a while, it's the walking part that was tough. Cas rotated himself into the chair.

"Yeah, Cas. I'm going to call them."

"I want to call them."

"I think I should call them." Cas was very stubborn and Dean knew he wouldn't win. Dean sat in front of Cas on his bed. Cas crosses his arms over his chest and pouts his lips. "Okay fine, but I talk to them first you can ask them to come."

Dean dials Gabe's number. "Hello."

"Hey Gabe it's Dean. Are you and Anna up to visiting Cas today?"

"Sure, when?"

"Wait one second." Dean hands the phone over to Cas. "Cas this is Gabe. Tell him to come visit you now." Dean whispers.

"Hello Gabe."

"Hello... Cas?" He sounded confused.

"I am Cas. You and... Anna need to see the flowers with me."

"Okay Cas we will be there soon, can you give the phone to Dean." Cas does.

"He wanted to call you himself. We will be in the pavilion in the middle of the hospital. Come soon."

"We're on our way. Bye." Dean hangs up.

"They are coming?" Asked Cas. Castiel has a hard time remembering people, it is really sporadic. One day he knows who is siblings are and wants to see them but the next they are strangers to him.

"Yup, they are. Now lets go outside and wait for them." Dean jumps up and pulls Cas out of the room.

The reach the pavilion and go to Cas' usual bench beside a flower patch. For some reason Cas never wants to sit on the bench so he sits in front of the flowers. He likes to pick a few but before he does he looks around so he doesn't get caught. The nurses don't like it when he picks at the flowers.

His siblings arrive later and Dean has to introduce them.

"Okay Cas This is your brother, Gabe and your sister, Anna."

"Hello, here." He hands each of them a small bouquet of flowers and they sit down beside him and Dean.

It is a nice summer day, its warm out and the sun is shining. The four of them sit and talk for about an hour before Dean, Gabe, and Anna have to leave. Even though Castiel doesn't know his siblings to well he talks to them a lot. He tells them about his nurse Lisa and how she plays games with him. The games are supposed to improve Cas' memory and functioning. They seem to be working well enough and Cas loves to play them.

Cas doesn't like it when Dean leaves but he is happy knowing that he will be here tomorrow.


	10. Comatose

_February 20, 2013_

"We have him on medication to keep him comatose, if the swelling in his brain goes down we will take him off it." The doctor was looking at the clipboard in front of her. It had all of Cas' information on it. Dean got a glimpse of it but it just looked like gibberish.

"So that means he'll wake up?" Dean was intent on keeping quiet and letting Gabriel talk.

"Nothing is written in stone but there is a chance he will wake up and there's a chance he won't. It's best not to get your hopes up."

"But about when he wakes up?" Dean interjected.

"We can tell he has extensive brain damage. He most likely won't remember much of his past. Though it is hard to gauge his memory of his life without him awake so we will know definite answers if he does survive."

"Thank you, Doctor." Dean felt odd listening to Gabriel and his grown-up voice. "So you don't know how long he will be like this?" Gabriel looked over at his pale brother in the hospital bad.

"No he could be under a week, months or in the worst case years, but given his condition it is unlikely he will wake up within the month.

"You should try to engage him, coma patients tend to respond to familiarity. Now, if you need anything there are nurses in the hall." She smiles then leaves.

Anna and Sam were still raiding the candy machine but Dean has a suspicion that Anna found a closet and dragged Sam in.

Dean and Gabe take seats across the bed for one another. Each staring at Cas' pale face. The kid already had the whitest skin but now it looks like death has taken over. His eyes appear to be sunken in and his lips are a pale purplish-pink. There is a large bald spot on the top left of his head with a stitched cut running along it.

They are quiet while they look at Cas. The only other sound in the muffled shuffle of feet in the hallway and the heart monitor. Dean didn't like the constant beeping at first but he had learned to love it, the noise meant Cas was still alive.

"Hey Castiel, I know the doctor said you probably couldn't hear us but we miss you. I hope you wake up soon." Dean keeps his eyes on the boy while Gabriel was talking. Dean opened his mouth to say something but he quickly closed it. He didn't have the right words. He never had the right words.

Instead of saying something, Dean reached out and took Cas' limp hand. There was no squeezing back this time.


	11. Depression

_December 2013_

Cas has laid in his bed all day. He refuses to get out. The boy has been like this before but Dean usually found a way to cheer him up.

Cas was laying on his stomach with his head turned toward the door when Dean walked in.

"Hey Cas." He dropped his book bag next to the door and went to sit on the bed beside Cas. "You gonna say hello?" He ruffles the hair on the back of Cas' head. Cas just groans and turns his head away. "Okay." Dean moves to lay on his back next to Cas.

"It hurts." He almost whispers. Dean looks at the mess of dark hair next to him and wraps an arm around his waist. Cas leans into the touch.

"Do you want more medicine, I could go get Lisa." Dean is concerned but is always concerned about Cas.

"No she gave me some already. I don't like it makes me weird." Cas shifts to tuck his head into the other boys warm shoulder. "I don't like it here."

"Why don't you like it."

"Everyone is sad. You are sad." Cas has a simple way of conversation. Speech therapy has helped him to learn how to make sentences again, Cas still had trouble sometimes.

"I'm not sad Cas. I don't like seeing you hurt."

"I'm sorry."

"No, you have nothing to be sorry for. You know what? I'm going to sneak in some chocolate okay?" Cas smiled.

"I like chocolate."

"I know Cas. I love you."

"I'm tired."

"Okay I'm staying right here."

"Love you too." Dean was happy.

They both quickly fall asleep.

Dean woke up an hour or two later with Cas holding to him for dear life. He was still asleep, Dean watched the subtle rise and fall of his chest and smiled. He tried to get out of Cas' death grip but it was impossible. Cas had one leg wrapped around his and an arm tightly gripping onto his shoulder.

* * *

Dean somehow managed to get out of the bed without waking him up.

"Do you think he will ever be one hundred percent again?" Dean was standing near the door way next to Lisa.

"The doctors say..." Dean cuts her off.

"I don't care what the doctors say. Do _you_ think he will get better?"

"He is a strong kid. Castiel is improving at steady pace. I'm going to be honest with you, Dean. If I was just looking at his charts, I would say that there is an extremely slim chance that he will every be able to function on his own but knowing him... He could do it, if anyone could Castiel could." Dean's eyes watered at Lisa's words.

He liked Lisa, she had a kid, Ben. He was young ten or eleven. She always talked about him, told Dean about what got in trouble for in school. Lisa always told Dean about how much the two boys were alike. She told Dean once that she hopes Ben turns out as amazing as Dean did. He never knows how to reply to those comments.

"Thank you."


End file.
